Fifteen Months
by Dr. Sheep
Summary: We follow James Potter and the Marauders as they strive to survive in the fifteen months between Harry's birth and Halloween 1981. The innate laughter of life with the Marauders is tainted by the ever present threat of war and suspicion between friends.
1. Belgian ice cream and the sound of music

"_**Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the war room!"**_

_**President Merkin Muffley, Dr. Strangelove.**_

**A/N: Welcome to my new story; 'Fifteen months'. I'm a big fan of the Marauders and have long known that I wanted to write a story about them once I'd finished with my original series. There's plenty of stuff out there about their time at Hogwarts, a lot of it very good, but little about this period of time; the fifteen months between Harry's birth and James and Lily's deaths and I think it makes for an interesting setting. This fic will have a little bit of everything in it; comedy, action, adventure, romance, angst and emotion as James tries to deal with fighting a war while raising a family and balancing his love and trust for his friends with protectiveness for his family as it becomes known there is a spy among them and his friends are slowly divided by suspicion.**

**Those of you who are familiar with my work will know that I like to write large scale battles and there'll be one or two of those in here (this story will probably be a Novella). I largely follow canon, though James and Sirius work as Aurors and the Potters may go into hiding at a slightly different time, and the dates are all meticulously researched and accurate as far as I can find out. Veterans of my two previous Novels will recognise a certain OC and this story will fit work as a prequel to those but in no way do you have to read them to get the full effect of Fifteen months. So without further adieu, please read on and remember to review and tell me what you think.**

**Prologue:**

**Monday 12****th**** May 1980.**

Albus Dumbledore forced an interested look on his face as he peered over his half-moon spectacles at the young woman before him. Sitting in a private room in the Hog's head, he wearily listened as a batty-looking witch with thick glasses spoke supposed words of divination in an exaggeratedly mystic tone of voice. It was against his better judgement to allow the continuation of the subject at Hogwarts, but he thought it prudent to meet with the woman in front of him after he had received her application for the job of professor; she was, after all, the Great-Great-Granddaughter of the revered prophet Cassandra Trelawney. The headmaster was, however, disappointed that the witch seemed to have inherited none of her ancestor's talent and he was about to interrupt her theatrics when something caused his focus to sharpen on the scene before him.

Sybil Trelawney suddenly sat bolt upright, her predictions coming to an immediate halt as her breathing became raspy and erratic.

"_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches..." _The witch began, her voice harsh and uneven. "_ … Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies …" _It was at this point that Albus became aware of a commotion outside, but he maintained his focus on Sybil Trelawney as the prophecy continued. "... _and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not … and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives. … The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…_"

As Dumbledore carefully considered the implications of the words she had just spoken, Trelawney slowly came out of her trance, blinking confusedly before meeting the gaze of the headmaster.

"I do apologise Professor," She spoke. "I must have dropped off for a second, continued focus on the inner eye can be most draining on one's body."

"Quite," Dumbledore agreed, thinking through his options before quickly coming to a decision. "Well I think I have heard enough Miss Trelawney; your gift of sight is plain to see and I would be delighted if you agreed to become the Divination professor at Hogwarts once the new term begins."

Surprised but pleased, Sybil quickly agreed before hastily finishing her sherry and leaving Albus alone to his thoughts. A knock on the door brought him out of his reverie and the headmaster summoned the person inside.

"Sorry for the interruption professor," a rough-looking wizard, whom Dumbledore recalled was a waiter at the inn, said as he popped his head in the door. "Found a Death Eater snooping round outside, I told him, we didn't want his sort in here."

"Who was it, if I may ask?" The Professor enquired, keeping his voice steady as his mind reeled at the information.

"It was young Severus Snape."

**Chapter 1**

**Thursday 31****st**** July 1980:**

The sleek, black Triumph Bonneville T120 raced through the streets of London at speeds approaching 115 miles per hour, swerving in and out of the dense traffic with apparent ease as the rider expertly navigated his way through the capital's side streets. Safe in the knowledge that he was hidden from muggle eyes by his bike's cloaking charm, Sirius Black gunned the throttle yet harder, his mind focused on just one thought; he had to reach his friend. Lily could be difficult to deal with at the best of times but with a little person forcing its way out of her, well, 'personal area', Sirius couldn't help but fear for his best mate's safety; James had a tendency to speak before thinking.

Screeching to a halt outside the innocuous building known to the wizarding world as St. Mungo's hospital, Sirius jumped from his prized motorcycle and sprinted inside, ignoring the disapproving looks of the hospital staff. Running through the mazy corridors of the hospital as he desperately searched for the right ward, it was only after he had passed the same screaming, bearded woman five times that Sirius thought it might be a good idea to ask for directions.

"Where the hell have you been?" Remus asked as his friend skidded to a halt in front of him.

"I was in Belgium when I got your message," Sirius replied as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Why were you in Belgium?" Wormtail enquired as Remus rolled his eyes, knowing that they would receive an insane answer.

"I fancied some ice cream. Now where are James and Lily?"

"They're in the delivery room," Remus said, "but I don't think you should-"

But Sirius wasn't listening, over-excited about the birth of his godson and a new marauder. "I'm coming Prongs!" He cried and, before anyone could stop him, he charged through the doors to the delivery room.

The next thing Moony and Wormtail heard was the blood-curdling scream of their friend, followed by a bellowed "Get out!" And Sirius Black was blasted back through the doors, crashing into the opposite wall.

"Are you alright Padfoot?" Remus asked as he and Peter helped Sirius to his feet.

For a minute, the animagus didn't say a word, his eyes wide and unseeing and his face deathly pale as his mouth hung open in a silent scream.

"It's awful in there guys," he finally murmured, "like something from a horror film."

"What do you mean?" Peter asked.

"Have you ever seen Alien?"

"Yes," Remus replied as Peter just looked confused.

"Remember the scene where that thing bursts from Kane's stomach?"

"Padfoot I don't want to know!" Remus cried, putting his fingers in his ears and desperately trying to banish the mental image from his mind.

"At least you didn't see it," Sirius said as he conjured himself a seat and plopped down into it. "How do you think I feel? That image is now permanently burned into the back of my retina. I really didn't need to see Lily from that angle."

"I dare say that under normal circumstances you wouldn't have complained," Remus pointed out with a smirk. "Half of the witch population of Britain would testify to that."

"You flatter me Moony," Sirius replied. "It's more like a third."

They chatted for a while longer before they were interrupted by the sound of a door opening and, as one, the marauders turned to see the exhausted but beaming face of James Potter poking out of the delivery room.

"It's a boy," he announced, looking slightly dazed. "Lily and the baby are just fine and it's a boy. I'm a Dad."

Padfoot, Moony and Wormtail rushed forward to congratulate their friend, embracing him as a brother, before they released him back to his young wife and newly born son.

"Damn." Remus muttered when he was sure James was out of hearing range, handing over three galleons to a smirking Sirius.

"So what's his name?" Sirius asked, gently poking the small, pudgy form of his Godson.

It was an hour and a half later and the rest of the Marauders had finally been allowed to see Lily and her newly born son.

"Don't poke him Sirius," Lily responded sternly. "We haven't chosen a name yet."

"How about Blackbeard?" Sirius suggested, causing Lily to lean back and close her eyes tiredly, realising that it was going to be another insane Marauder conversation.

"Good." James replied, considering the name. "But what if he doesn't grow up to have a black beard? Then it would just be ridiculous."

"I've always liked the name Remus." The werewolf spoke up.

"Spiderman." Sirius shouted enthusiastically.

"I've always liked the name Remus."

"How about Peter?" Wormtail asked.

"I've always liked the name Remus."

"Hey," James cut in, "if he's going to be named after anyone, it's me. Prongs Potter, it has quite a nice ring to it."

"We're not calling him Prongs Potter." Lily spoke up for the first time.

"How about Spartacus?" James asked.

"Too common," came Sirius' reply.

"Common?" Asked a bemused Lily.

"Yeah, have you seen the end of that film? They're all called Spartacus."

"Sirius I don't think they're actually..."

"I've got it!" Padfoot exclaimed. "Darth Vader Potter."

"Sirius." James replied. "You. Are. A. Genius! What do you think Lils?"

Lily sighed, fighting to keep a smile from her lips. "I think you're a bunch of raving lunatics, but what else is new? James, what do you think of Harry?"

Sirius looked at her as if she'd gone mad, but James smiled.

"I like it," He spoke sincerely. "Harry Potter. What about a middle name?"

"How about James?" Lily suggested, prompting a smile from her husband.

Remus looked up, "You know I've always liked the name..."

"Shut up," James interrupted. "Harry James Potter it is."

At that moment, the door to the ward opened and in walked a beautiful young woman, with layered, deep brown hair down to her shoulders and vibrant blue eyes, a healer's uniform covering her slim frame.

"How are you feeling Lily?" The healer asked, only to turn around in shock as a loud _**thump**_ rang out behind her.

"It's for the best." James assured her, as she looked down concernedly at the gagged and bound form of Sirius Black.

"Sirius' self-control around beautiful women is next to zero at the best of times." Remus explained. "Adding a healer's uniform to the equation isn't a good idea."

The healer looked amused and smiled at the Marauders before turning back to Lily. After putting mother and baby through a number of tests (Lily got an O, but Harry didn't answer a single question correctly), the nurse left and Sirius was freed from his restraints.

"That wasn't very nice," He said as he dusted himself down.

"Maybe not, but as you were looking at her as if you were about to mount her, I think it was necessary," James responded.

"Who was she?" Padfoot turned to Lily.

"Her name's Rachel," Lily wearily admitted. "She's a healer and friend of mine, who happens to have a boyfriend."

"That's not a problem," Sirius replied cockily.

"It is if you don't want to become a eunuch," Lily said threateningly. "My friends aren't your sexual playthings Sirius and if you break her and Jonathan up for a one night stand, I will personally neuter you."

"Maybe we should leave you two in peace," Remus suggested as Sirius reflexively went to protect his gentleman's area.

"Don't worry about her," Prongs said as he escorted his friends from the ward. "Hormones." 

James Potter would always remember the end of that sentence as the moment he was knocked unconscious by a flying bedpan.

Walking over to the small cot as his young wife took a deserved sleep, James looked down at the snoozing child within and smiled. He had found himself doing that a lot in the last few hours; as much as this new responsibility scared him, as soon as his gaze landed on his son, he couldn't help but feel his heart soar. Though it was difficult to say that the pudgy little form before him looked like anyone in particular, James thought he could see signs of his own features in his son and the mop of messy, black 'Potter hair' spoke for itself. Harry's eyes, though, were pure Lily. James thought back to the moment he had first held his child in his arms and experienced a rush of all-encompassing love, more powerful than any magic he had ever felt. Then his son had opened his eyes and James had gazed down in awe at orbs of magnificent emerald green and the elder Potter felt his heart falter with emotion as they seemed to shine as they stared back up at him. He would remember that moment for the rest of his life.

After an exhausting day, though he was loathe to mention his own tiredness to Lily, the young wizard was content to collapse in a comfy chair and simply stare at the boy he had helped to create as his tiny chest steadily rose and fell. But at that moment, he saw Harry's face scrunch up and his movements became jerky as he started to emit small whines. Jumping up, James put a silencing charm around his wife's bed to allow her a little peace and quiet before turning back to Harry, who was now wailing at full volume.

Glancing around in panic, James picked up his son and desperately tried to remember what he was supposed to do, before his nose gave him a rather forceful reminder. He briefly wondered how pathetic it would look if he simply went to a mid-wife for help, before steeling himself and deciding just to get it over with. Laying his son down, the young wizard decided to give him a second to make sure he was finished before removing the dirty nappy and letting out an exclamation of disgust as he reflexively backed away. Conjuring a bubble-head charm upon his person, James Potter gasped in the clean air to freshen his lungs before wearily edging forward, his wand at the ready in case his son decided to greet him with a spray of urine or worse.

A quick vanishing charm and the soiled nappy was taken care of, but the next part could only be done by hand, so James conjured some rubber gloves and raised a shield before putting his wand down and picking up some baby wipes. As it happened, the shield had been a good idea as, halfway through the operation, he was met with a 'biological attack' of sorts. The Marauder ducked away but needn't have worried as the shield did its job and, a few minutes later, his mission was complete. James raised his arms and laughed in celebration only to go red with embarrassment as he was met with a chorus of cheers, whooping and applause.

Turning to the door, James saw all his fellow Marauders gathered there, along with Albus Dumbledore and, as he glanced around, he saw a very amused Lily Potter sitting up in bed, shaking her head at his bubble-head charm, shield and bright yellow, rubber gloves.

"Why didn't you just use a switching charm?" Sirius asked and James' face fell as looked to his wife.

"Harry would still have needed to be cleaned up Sirius," the muggle-born witch replied. "James did very well, even if he did approach changing a nappy in the same way he would a duel with a Nundu."

"Auror or not Lils, I would approach a duel with a Nundu by running very quickly in the opposite direction." James said with a grin.

"Congratulations James, Lily," Dumbledore spoke up, his eyes sparkling with delight as he looked upon some of his favourite former students. "Have you made any decisions on the name of this newest Potter?"

"Thank you Albus. I'd like to introduce you to Harry James Potter," Lily replied. "Would you like to hold him?"

The headmaster accepted and spent the next five minutes or so playing a furiously contested game of tug of war with his own beard before telling the Marauders and Lily that he had to get back to Hogwarts. Pausing at the doorway, he turned and James observed a strange expression on the old warlock's face before it disappeared to be replaced with a smile once more.

"James, Lily, there is something I wish to discuss with the two of you when you have the time. There is no immediate urgency and no need to worry but I would be greatly obliged if we could speak in private sometime over the next few days."

James and Lily looked at each other.

"How about tomorrow afternoon Albus?" Lily suggested.

"Splendid," The professor replied. "I will pop by around two O'clock. Good day and congratulations once again."

At two pm the next day, there was a knock on the door of Lily's room and Albus Dumbledore walked in. He exchanged pleasantries with James and Lily before escorting the two new parents out of the room, leaving Harry in the capable hands of Sirius and Remus (Remus was, by Lily's insistence, in charge).

"What is this about Albus?" James asked as he followed the headmaster through a corridor, noting once again that the old wizard had a strange expression upon his face.

"It is best we speak in private," Albus replied simply, smiling reassuringly at the couple.

He led them to a secluded room and opened the door to allow them inside before securing the room with layers of protective charms and wards. Conjuring three comfortable chairs, the old wizard then motioned for a concerned James and Lily to have a seat, before dropping into one himself and steepling his hands together.

"I am sorry to interrupt the joy the birth of your first born has doubtlessly brought James and Lily, but some months ago I happened upon some information that, I now realise, may pertain to you," Dumbledore began his speech. "You see I was interviewing an applicant for the post of Divination teacher, one Sybil Trelawney, when her voice grew hoarse and her eyes unfocused and she delivered what I believe to be a true prophecy."

James felt his apprehension grow further and his hand reached for Lily's while his other gripped tightly on the chair arm as he wondered what this had to do with him and his young family.

"What did the prophecy say?" Lily questioned quietly, the trepidation quite clear in her voice.

"It said; _the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies … and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not … and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives. … The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…_"

Lily gasped, her hands flying to her mouth in shock as her eyes widened and looked to Dumbledore to confirm her fears.

"What does it mean?" James asked in confusion as the headmaster nodded to Lily.

"It means," Dumbledore began, "that the one with the power to defeat Voldemort was to be born to parents who had thrice escaped him, born at the end of July and that he must either defeat Voldemort or die at his hands."

"It means Harry," James muttered in dawning fear and dread, his mind turning immediately to thoughts of his beautiful baby boy at the mercy of that inhuman monster. "Albus, he's just a baby; he won't reach his majority for seventeen years and I'll be damned if you expect me to stand aside and allow this to happen. If Voldemort wants Harry, he'll have to climb over my cold, dead body to get to him."

Dumbledore raised his hands and gave James a small smile of reassurance.

"James, I assure you that I would never dream of asking you to allow Harry to face Voldemort alone, whether it be now or when he is a man. The prophecy could be deciphered in any number of ways and there is another to whom it could refer."

"Neville." Lily said, just coming to this realisation herself as she still battled with the shocking news the old professor had just delivered.

"Quite so. Alice and Frank Longbottom have also defied Voldemort three times and, as you know, their son Neville was born yesterday. They too have been told of the prophecy."

Dumbledore paused and tiredly rubbed his eyes as he prepared to give his final, crushing piece of news.

"I do not wish for the two of you to become yet more concerned with this matter but I would be remiss if I didn't warn you of the danger you now face. You see, as Sybil was delivering her prophecy, a Death Eater was spying upon our meeting and, while he was discovered and removed from the premises part way through the reading, it is very likely that he heard the beginning. I know I don't need to tell you how seriously Voldemort is likely to take this information and I fear that young Harry has become a major target of his."

Lily's eyes filled with tears and her heart sank as Dumbledore's words sunk in, before her gaze turned to her husband as he squeezed her hand, trying to fend off his own feelings of dread and devastation.

"What would you recommend we do?" He asked.

"We will increase the wards on Godric's Hollow, but at present I don't believe it necessary for you to go into hiding completely. Harry will, of course, be under your protection at all times and I think it best that he is only taken out under the guardianship of a larger group."

James and Lily nodded their agreement after sharing a glance.

"We'll only move Harry out the house when it's necessary," Lily spoke. "And when we do, we'll be sure to have Sirius, Remus and Peter with us."

"I think that's wise," Dumbledore replied. "I don't wish to keep you from your child any longer, so if you have no further questions, I will take my leave and begin preparations for the expansion of the wards on your home and that of the Longbottoms."

James and Lily confirmed that they had no further questions and, as Dumbledore vanished the conjured chairs, started to head for the door in a slight daze.

"James, Lily," Dumbledore called after them as they opened the door and they turned to find him with a slight smile on his face. "Do not allow this to cloud the joy of Harry's birth; he will be well protected and it does not do to worry about things we cannot change."

The next few days passed by in a flash for the Potters as they grew accustomed to their newest and littlest member, tests and visits from friends breaking up the monotony of hospital life until Lily and Harry were given the all clear. Dumbledore, with the aid of Sirius and Remus, had heightened the wards on the Potter's home in Godric's Hollow and so James, Lily, Remus, Peter and Harry found themselves in the hospital foyer, bags packed and ready to go home but waiting, as usual, for Sirius Black.

"Sorry I'm late," Padfoot grinned as he casually strolled into the hospital to glares from the others.

"What took you so long?" Lily asked, annoyed.

"I was kept late at the theatre; I'm starring in a West End production of the Sound of Music."

"Oh," James responded. "Wait, What?"

"Sirius you're not starring in a West End musical." Lily said.

"I bloody am!" Sirius exclaimed, outraged. "I told you all about it months ago."

"I think that's the kind of thing we'd remember," Remus chipped in. "Especially considering the fact that we've heard you sing and, I'm sorry to tell you mate, you're no Freddie Mercury."

Sirius glared at his lupine friend. "I'm telling you, I told the lot of you when I first got the part. You especially should remember Remus, you read lines with me."

"What?" Remus asked incredulously. "No I didn't."

"You did, remember, it was on that trip we took to the French Riviera."

"I've never been to the French Riviera."

"Thinking about it we might have been in the Three Broomsticks," Sirius muttered, pondering.

"Hold on," James interrupted. "Isn't the star of the Sound of Music a woman?"

"Yes," Sirius replied, clearly not seeing the problem. "What's your point?"

"Anyway," Lily spoke up, deciding they should get going before the St. Mungo's head healers decided that her friends and husband should be kept inside. "Now Sirius is here, we can get going home."

The others agreed and the Marauders visibly sobered in their demeanour as they prepared to step out of the safety of the hospital and into a war-torn world to escort the Potters home. Sirius and James led the way, scanning the area as they nervously fingered their wands in their pockets before signalling that Lily should come out with Harry. Remus and Peter brought up the rear and the whole group piled into a car and promptly drove away; Remus in the driver's seat as the others kept a keen eye out the window, wands in hand as they steeled themselves against a possible attack. Fortunately, that was not to be and after nervous hour of driving, they arrived at Gordric's Hollow.

James breathed a sigh of relief as his wife and son stepped safely over the threshold of their home and under the protection of Dumbledore's powerful wards. As an Auror, James was more aware than most of the horrors the Death Eaters and their master were capable of and the thought of any of them so much as looking at Harry or Lily sent a shiver up his spine. These were dark days for the wizarding population of Great Britain as Voldemort's rise seemed utterly unstoppable; the Dark Lord grew in power and influence by the day and his actions were getting bolder and bolder. Even Dumbledore himself seemed unable to defeat him and fear and suspicion were spreading throughout the nation; the Death Eaters were using unforgivables and slowly infiltrating every wizarding department and organisation in the land, nobody knew who they could trust. Meanwhile, attacks on muggles, muggle-borns and so-called blood traitors were rampant and becoming more and more common; even the muggles were noticing and the ministry was having a difficult time maintaining the International Statute of Secrecy.

"So Prongs, when are we getting Bambi here on a broom?" Sirius asked, bringing James out of his reverie and forcing a smile on to the young father's face as Lily promptly clipped Padfoot round the ear.

Soon after that, Sirius, Remus and Peter took their leave and James and Lily were left alone with their son for the first time, prompting nervous looks between the two whenever Harry made a noise. Lily, James noted with a smile, seemed to be a natural when it came to parenthood and spent much of the evening cooing and pulling faces at Harry, whose brilliant green eyes were glued to his mother's face.

"What?" Lily asked with a small smile when she caught James grinning at her.

"Nothing," James beamed in reply, content to simply sit back and watch his small family. "I think it may be time for bed," he added when he caught his wife trying to suppress a yawn.

James stood up and took his slumbering child from Lily's arms before leading her up to their room and placing Harry gently in his bassinet as she got ready for bed. Lily could barely keep her eyes open as she emerged from the bathroom and James took her in his arms and placed a small kiss on her lips before allowing her to get into bed and heading for the bathroom himself.

Closing the door as he heard his young wife drift off to sleep, James sighed, allowing his shoulders to sag slightly as he leaned on the sink and stared straight into the eyes of his reflection in the bathroom mirror. For the first time since his son had been born, since Lily had told him that she was expecting in fact, he allowed his doubts to come to the front of his mind. He was a dad. How could he raise a child when he felt little more than a child himself? God knows he acted like one. What kind of father would he be? He certainly couldn't imagine himself as the strict disciplinarian; that would have to be Lily's job, but even the basics seemed daunting; what if he just couldn't get Harry to stop crying? What if his son didn't like him?

For more than a minute, James let these thoughts drift through his mind, almost consuming him, before, at last, he smiled. He smiled because he knew that none of it mattered; he would find a way. Because, as soon as he had held that little boy in his arms he knew that he could never love anyone or anything more than he loved him. He knew that his life had new meaning; that his job in life was to protect and care for his son and everything came second to that.

"James?" Lily's voice called out sleepily from their bed.

"I'm coming." The marauder replied, before walking out of the bathroom and climbing under the sheets; he would be needing as much sleep as he could get.

**A/N: There you have it, the first chapter is down. Hopefully you enjoyed it and, again, whether you did or not, please leave a review. Some of you may have noticed that I couldn't resist including my own penname as a name suggestion for Harry; damn Lily, what's wrong with Prongs Potter? This chapter was mostly humour with some emotion mixed in as Harry was born. The next chapter will include some more Marauder madness and James and Sirius returning to tracking down baddies as they go back to work. **


	2. Sex and public indecency

_**"To alcohol! The cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems!"**_

_**Homer Simpson**_

**A/N: Welcome to the second chapter of Fifteen Months! It is by some way the most emotionally varied chapter I have ever written so be prepared to laugh, cry, cry with laughter and laugh with sadness. Read on, enjoy and please leave me a review at the end.**

**Monday 11th August 1980**

The dawning of this Monday morn brought with it a scene of domestic bliss within the Potter household. The youngest member, just eleven days old, had slept surprisingly well the previous night and James and Lily sat with him in the kitchen, cooing down at him as he looked up at their faces in wonder. Since his son's birth, James had taken a leave of absence from work to spend time with his young family, but in the midst of a bloody war, the Aurors could spare one of their brightest young soldiers no longer and today Sirius, his comrade in arms as well as his best friend, was due to pick him up. Being Sirius, however, he was already twenty minutes late.

A perfunctory knock rang out from the front door and James went to answer, only making it as far as the living room before it opened anyway and Sirius Black let himself in.

"Sorry I'm late," he said as he collapsed down on to the sofa. "I was arrested last night for public indecency and they didn't let me out until this morning."

"If you were in a muggle jail cell, why didn't you just apparate out?" James asked, not surprised in the slightest that his best friend had been arrested.

"I'll be honest mate, the only thing I can remember from last night is speaking to a lovely young muggle at the start of the evening. Judging by the newspaper the police showed me, I somehow found myself naked in the middle of Piccadilly Circus. Well almost naked, in the picture I saw, I was wearing a top hat."

"That's strange," James commented casually, "you're not usually a hat person."

"That's what I thought," Sirius agreed conversationally.

"Only in your world is that the strange part of the story," Lily said as she walked into the room, Harry cradled snugly in her arms.

Sirius' face lit up at the sight of his Godson and he immediately took the baby from his Mother, holding him carefully and gently rocking him as he spoke.

"Hello little Prongs jnr.," he began in a cutesy baby voice. "How is my favourite Godson?"

"Sirius, I hate to interrupt you, but you're starting to menstruate," James said, knowing that the implication would irritate his best friend.

He was right and Padfoot responded by punching James in the arm before handing Harry back to his mother and continuing in a voice that was noticeably lower than usual.

"So have you taught him any tricks yet?" He asked.

"He's not a dog Sirius," Lily scolded with a glare, though she was quickly becoming immune to whatever nonsense he spouted when playing around with his friends. "Unlike some."

"That's no way to talk about James Lily," Sirius responded. "He's a very handsome man, it's unfair to compare him to me."

"Yes, well we better get going Padfoot, you sexy devil," James said. "That half an hour we planned for me to do some training to get back in the swing of things has already passed and, if we don't leave now, we'll be late."

"Right you are Prongsy," Sirius exclaimed in reply, jumping to his feet. "See you later Harry, Lils."

James also bid his goodbyes to his wife and child before, with a slight nod to Sirius, the two of them disapparated. They appeared seconds later in the atrium of the Ministry of Magic and together they walked to the golden lifts, which took them down to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and the Auror office. James' presence was met in the office by much joviality and backslapping as his fellow Aurors welcomed one of their own back to work and congratulated him on the birth of his first child. The young father took the welcomes and the ribbings with good grace before snapping to attention, along with every other man and woman in the office, as Auror Commander Alastor Moody walked into the room, two young wizards in tow. One of the new faces was instantly recognisable to James as Thane Harding; a Gryffindor who had been a year below him in school and whom James and the Marauders had befriended. The other was a tall, black man who also looked familiar, though he couldn't place his name.

"Listen up!" Moody bellowed needlessly into the already silent office. "These are Auror recruits Harding and Shacklebolt. Potter, Black, I'm splitting the two of you up for the duration of their training; Potter will take Harding and Shacklebolt will go with Black. As much as I don't like it, we've had to decrease the time spent at the academy to just one year to deal with the pressures being put upon us in this war, the rest of the training will be done on the job. They are to be treated as junior Aurors and will be taken out on assignments and into battle; they are your partners but also your students; show them the ropes and try to make sure they survive; it takes time and money to train more recruits. Potter, Harding, I want you in my office in five minutes for the details of your assignment. The rest of you, get to work."

James grinned at Thane and shook him heartily by the hand as he made his way towards him. He was a little sad to lose Sirius as a partner, for the time being at least, but he was glad that his student was to be Thane; he had grown fond of him during their time at Hogwarts and thought he'd make an excellent Auror.

"How's it going mate?" James asked his old friend. "Long time, no see."

"I'm OK, a little nervous but I suppose that's to be expected. Congratulations about your son's birth by the way."

"Thanks a lot. Oh and thanks for the gift you sent," James replied. "Well, we better get started; I'm sure you've realised by now that Moody's not the kind of man you keep waiting."

"Yeah, I got that message when he came to visit the academy a couple of months ago and whacked me over the head with his cane for arriving after him," Thane said as the two of them walked towards the Commander's office. "I wouldn't have minded, but he'd turned up ten minutes early."

Their mission, as it turned out, was to speak to a wizard who had recently been witness to a major Death Eater attack. The man had told Aurors that he recognised a couple of the attackers but was understandably reluctant to testify in court or even submit a formal statement; Voldemort's spies had penetrated deep within the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and witnesses to Death Eater crimes had a very short life expectancy. Suited up and prepared, James gave his new partner a reassuring smile to ease his nerves before memorising the address and disapparating from the ministry.

As soon as James apparated onto the street, he knew that something wasn't right; his raw, animal instincts screaming 'DANGER' at him before his brain could tell him why. He thrust his arm out violently to the side, grabbing Thane by front of his robes and silencing the new Auror as he was about to speak, his wand held out in front of him at the ready.

"What is it?" Thane whispered tensely after a few long moments of silence.

"I don't know," James responded cautiously, releasing his partner and slowly starting forward. "Have your best shield charm at the ready, something doesn't feel right."

The two men edged their way forward, towards their destination until, when they were a street away, James' senses caught up with his instincts and a terrible, acrid stench filled his nostrils, causing bile to rise up in his throat. Horror filled the Auror's heart and he quickened his pace, his wand stretched before him, until they rounded a corner and his fears were confirmed. He heard Thane gagging beside him, releasing an exclamation of horror and, even as he fought down his own revulsion, James silently pleaded for his partner to steel his nerve; they couldn't afford to lose focus.

They were too late. The smell was that of burning flesh, for lying outside their witness' front door, under the leering gaze of the Dark Mark, was the burnt remains of what had once been a man. His limbs were bent and tortured, an expression of unspeakable agony permanently written upon his features, and his torched skin was black and peeling with red, raw sores spread across his naked form. The scene was a ghastly one but worst of all was that smell; the two wizards could taste it in their throats and they would never truly rid themselves of it; the putrid smell of death, pervading every molecule of air around them. After a moment shock, Thane started forwards.

"Leave him!" James shouted, causing him to screech to a halt.

"We need to help him!" He bellowed back, desperation and disbelief painted on his face.

"He's dead," James said, his posture still focused and his eyes still alert as they scanned his surroundings. "And he won't thank us for joining him by falling into a trap. Scan the area for hexes while I watch your back, if you find anything, don't try to counter it unless you're sure what it is."

Thane nodded somewhat reluctantly before carrying out his partner's commands, steadily making his way towards the victim as he performed revealing charms to search for any curses the Death Eaters might have left behind.

"It's clear," he finally said and James nodded.

"There's no sign of any Death Eaters and they're rarely this patient. I think we're looking at a hit and run job, a simple assassination."

Thane nodded absentmindedly, his attention once again focused entirely on the horrific corpse before him, his mind faraway in thought. James patted him comfortingly on the shoulder before conjuring a white sheet over the body.

"We better get the body out of here before anyone sees it," James spoke after giving the younger Auror a few seconds alone to himself. "We'll need to have someone come and remove the Dark Mark and wipe the memories of any witnesses."

Thane nodded once more, seemingly not trusting himself to speak quite yet. With a look of sympathy at his old school friend, James touched the covered body and disapparated with it to the Ministry's increasingly busy Auror office. Thane followed but remained silent as James made the appropriate arrangements with the clear-up team, his eyes unfocused and his mind a million miles away, detached from reality by the horror he had witnessed. James noticed his partner's distraction and went through the necessities as quickly as possible, before leading the younger Auror to Moody's office.

"With your permission, I'm going to take Auror Harding out of action for a few hours Commander," he said after the grizzled, old warrior had beckoned him inside.

Moody took one look at Thane and nodded his acceptance, a trace of understanding and concern skilfully masked in his gnarled features.

"Get him back fighting fit soon Potter. Merlin knows we can't afford to lose another one this way."

James nodded before escorting Thane out the office.

"James, I'm fine," he muttered vaguely.

"No you're not," James countered, leaving no room to argue. "But don't worry; I've been doing some extensive research over the last few years into a magical serum that helps people move past traumatic events like this." He grabbed hold of Thane's arm and apparated the two of them to Hogsmeade, just outside the door of the Three Broomsticks. "I call it 'alcohol'."

Thane gave a small, wry smile, though the humour failed to touch his eyes, and allowed himself to be led inside.

"I can still smell it," Thane finally spoke.

The two Aurors were sat at the bar, their second Firewhiskeys in hand. A silence had grown between them as James allowed his partner time to contemplate what he'd seen and begin to come to terms with it. He nodded in reply.

"It lingers in your nostrils, doesn't it? It sticks to clothes and remains in your memory long after the stench itself has gone. The most vile smell there is."

"Is it always this hard?"

"No," James replied. "The Death Eaters save their sickest perversions for when they want to send a message; the perils of turning witness in this case. Don't get me wrong, you never really get used to the fear and horror, but you learn to manage it, a little bit better at least. As you become more experienced, your priorities change, your biggest fear becomes letting your men down; it's hard to underestimate the bond of trust that forms between brothers and sisters in arms. They make it a little easier simply by sharing the experience."

Thane nodded in agreement and James gave a slight smile; the thousand yard stare had receded, and his friend had come back to reality. The older Auror downed the rest of his drink.

"I have to go," he said. "The family need to be informed. You're welcome to come if you wish but we'll need to be strong for them; to offer them comfort. I wouldn't blame you in the slightest if you sat this one out."

"No," Thane replied, also downing his drink. "I want to come. As hard as it'll be, it's my job and I want to at least try and be of some comfort to this man's family."

After telling the wizard's devastated wife and parents that their husband and son wouldn't be coming home, an emotionally drained James Potter returned to the Auror office alone. He had sent Thane home to friends, not wanting to overburden him anymore than he already had, aware that even he was only just holding it together. As the weary Marauder made his way through the tedious paperwork, his mind couldn't help but dwell upon the dreadfulness of the day's events, with only Sirius muttering ridiculous and often inappropriate jokes to ease the pain. It did help; the black humour distracted his mind and made it more difficult for him to dwell.

As the day finally came to an end, James parted ways with his best friend and apparated home to Godric's Hollow. Coming to the door, he paused and closed his eyes and, plastering a smile on his face, he tried to allow the misery of the war to melt off him. It didn't work, but he was determined to put up a happy front for the sake of his family. Walking inside, he called out jokingly;

"Honey, I'm home!"

Lily walked into the living room with Harry in her arms but stopped as she saw her husband's face. Understanding, sympathy and sadness took over her features; sadness for her love's obvious pain. Gently placing Harry in his bassinet, she walked quickly to James and wrapped her arms around him in a tight and fierce embrace. He returned the gesture with fervour and let go his bravado, choking back a sob as he fought back the tears that sprung to the corners of his eyes; determined they shouldn't fall, that he would remain strong for them.

"I love you," Lily said into his shoulder.

"I love you too Lily," James replied and, despite everything, felt just a little bit better.

The evening past like any other as little Harry Potter was doted on completely by his loving parents. The normality and simple domestic bliss was a big comfort for James, but it wasn't quite enough to wholly break through his depression. As he sat on his sofa and watched the two people he loved most in the world, who he loved more than his own life, he couldn't help but feel apart from them, an observer of their happiness, stuck in the mire of his emotional pain. Impossibly, Lily seemed to understand his turmoil and allowed him his space, while always including him in her and Harry's little games. She brought him out of his sadness and, by the time Harry was being tucked in, he felt truly a part of the family again. He went to bed that night wondering how he had ever captured someone so utterly out of his league.

The next few weeks seemed to speed by for James as he got back in to the swing of things at work. Thankfully, though the war was determined not to let up for a second, he was spared a repeat of the horror of his first day back and he had been able to get into something of a routine and was making good headway in several cases, having already locked up two of the bastards for good. Meanwhile, Thane was becoming, as predicted, a very able Auror and James did his best to train his old friend in the secrets of the trade, as well as a few of his choicest curses, hexes and shields. The two of them barely had a moment's peace, however, as their world continued to darken and the war became hotter and hotter, with wizarding civilisation itself seemingly on the brink. So, it was with some relief that James took a day off in late September for the momentous occasion of Sirius' 21st birthday.

**Friday 27th September 1980:**

The day itself had passed as smoothly as could be hoped as the Marauders and Lily did their best to fend off a hyper-active Sirius, who was bouncing off the walls like a six year old as he basked in the joy of his own birthday. They had decided to save the presenting of presents until the party that evening and, predictably, this had gone down like a lead balloon with the birthday boy. The twenty-one year old Auror and soldier of the Order of the Phoenix had pouted and whined about having to wait before 'subtly' tearing the house apart, searching for gifts whenever his friends turned their backs. It was in vain, however, and Sirius was sent away in the mid-afternoon as party preparations began.

Seven O'clock that evening saw the door to the Potters' house being dramatically thrown open and Sirius Black striding elegantly inside, to be met by precisely four people.

"Sorry I'm late everyone, I..." he faltered, his eyes taking in the distinct lack of guests. "Where is everyone?"

"The party doesn't start for another hour Padfoot," Remus answered with a trace of a smirk.

"But you said it started at six," Sirius argued, confused.

"I don't recall saying that, do you Wormtail?" asked James.

"You know, I think we might have Prongs," Peter replied. "I seem to recall something about a plan to get Sirius to actually turn up on time."

The others grinned as Sirius adopted a look of deepest betrayal.

"So you don't want to know why I'm late? I mean, why I would have been late had it not been for your heinous deception?"

"There doesn't seem much point," Remus commented.

"Let him have his fun, boys, it is his birthday" Lily interjected with a smile as Sirius' face fell yet further. "Why would you have been late, had it not been for our heinous deception, Sirius?"

"It's actually a very beautiful and uplifting story," Padfoot replied with a grin. "I was having sex."

Lily rolled her eyes before leaving for the kitchen.

"Out of ten?" James asked when he was sure his wife was out of earshot.

"A solid eight and a half in looks, seven and a half for performance and nine for effort," Sirius replied as he made himself at home. "But she gets extra points for leaving right after, without being asked. She said something about having to get back to her husband."

James shook his head at his friend's casual answer, unsure whether to high five him or if touching Sirius at all would put him at risk of catching a communicable disease. He decided not to risk it. Peter, meanwhile looked at Sirius in awe as Remus wore an expression of weary amusement.

"An older woman?" Moony asked conversationally.

"Yep, not usually my type but she was rather keen. Late thirties, but she looked very good for it."

"I never had a problem with older women back in my stag days, so to speak," James interjected. "It really rests on the perkiness of her tit...o's death will have a big effect on the people of Yugoslavia."

James changed course with remarkable speed and fluidity as Lily walked back into the room with Harry in her arms.

"What?" Sirius asked confused. "I thought you were going to say it rested on the perkiness of her tit...o _was_ an incredibly influential leader, I agree."

Sirius too caught sight of an eyebrow-rasied Lily Potter.

"What the hell are you two talking about?" Remus asked, his back still towards his female friend. "We were talking about boob...y traps. They're a significant problem in the disarming of mines in third world countries."

Peter looked on in perplexity, yet still not in the loop. "Personally I wouldn't date a woman over thirty no matter how nice her boobs were."

"Peter that is an incredibly insensitive and sexist thing to say!" James exclaimed, 'outraged'.

"That has really lowered the tone of this conversation Pete," Remus agreed, his eyes glancing furtively at Lily.

"Yeah, thirty year olds are people too Wormtail, it's my duty to spread around the Padfoot love."

James and Remus turned to Sirius and gave him a harsh look for 'giving the game away'. Lily observed the four of them in complete understanding, letting their nervousness build as she allowed the silence to linger.

"I'm just going to let this one go," she finally said.

"That's very, very nice of you," James replied, chastened.

"Hey look, it's my godson!" Sirius suddenly shouted to dispel the tension, before bounding forward and taking young Harry in his arms.

"Don't get him excited Sirius," Lily admonished, gently taking back her son. "He's going for his first sleepover at Auntie Minerva's house."

"Harry's not going to be at my party?" Sirius asked, clearly disappointed.

"He's two months old, don't you think he'll cramp your style somewhat, mate?" Remus asked.

"On the contrary," James interjected with a smirk. "My son is a veritable babe magnet." He spotted the look on his wife's face. "Though, as a happily married man, I obviously never so much as look at single women."

"Exactly," Sirius came to his best mate's aid. "I, on the other hand, am something of a babe connoisseur and Harry would make my job tonight considerably easier."

Lily simply rolled her eyes and everyone bid their goodbyes to Harry before the two of them flooed to Professor McGonagall's house.

"Speaking of which," Sirius continued, "did you invite everyone on my list?"

"That piece of parchment just said 'Lots of random, sexy witches' on it," James replied.

"I know. Lots of random, sexy witches are very important to me James and they should be at my party."

"Somehow I don't think you'll be disappointed," Remus said. "We leaked it that Stubby Boardman would be at the party and entry into the house will be at your discretion."

At that moment, the doorbell rang and, with a flick of his wand, James turned on the music as the guests started to arrive and the party began. Sirius could not be held off a minute longer and so, as soon as most of the guests had arrived, presents were dished out. Apart the usual assortments of books (not a good choice), prank items (a very good choice), robes and confectionary, Padfoot was particularly enamoured with a muggle radio, bought by Lily. Though much the same as its wizarding counterpart, he marvelled at the number of stations it received and wondered at the cassette player. The young Auror spent quite some time playing with it before Remus gently reminded him that he still had other gifts to unwrap and that everyone was watching him.

With the presents out the way, the real party could begin and, for most of the guests, it was a chance to unwind and forget the perils and darkness of war. As the beer started to flow and the music blared, everyone let their hair down and had a good time. The birthday boy disappeared at one point, but James figured that he had got lucky and mingled with the crowd, laughing and joking around. Lily pulled him onto the improvised dance floor for a while before James realised that his bottle was empty and went to get another. It was at that stage that Sirius re-emerged, now carrying a dozen bottles of tequila and Sambuca and announcing that it was time for shots, to the general whooping of the party goers.

Much of the rest of the party was to be forever a blur to James. When he looked back at it, only snippets presented themselves to his memory and, judging by what those snippets included, he counted this as a blessing. He vaguely recalled leading a conga line, transfiguring himself a pair of breasts and toplessly riding a mechanical bull to the cheers of others. This was all the more bizarre as he didn't recall renting a mechanical bull and it wasn't there when he woke up, what the hell did he ride?

He did, however, remember the end of the night's frolics and shenanigans with crystal clarity. Lily dragged herself up to bed at around three in the morning as many of the guests still standing at that stage started to leave, each muttering to James their various "best night ever"s and "you make a surprisingly alluring girl"s. Eventually there were but a few left and, after dodging past the animated, life-sized dragon/beer fountain, James' eyes scanned the room for his best mate. Inevitably, they alighted on him chatting up a particularly beautiful young woman. This was all the more impressive as Padfoot had drank the most out of all of them and was having to cling onto the girl in question simply to remain upright.

Shaking his head, James set off to look for Peter, quickly finding him dancing manically before a cheering crowd, apparently oblivious to the fact that the music had been turned off five minutes ago. After joining in the tuneless dancing for a couple of minutes, Prongs dragged Wormtail from the crowd, who booed disappointedly before saying their goodbyes and leaving the party. The place was starting to clear out now and James and Peter stood chatting to the best of their drunken ability as they gazed out at the remaining revellers.

When James next looked towards his best friend, holding the table to steady himself and determinedly trying to see in single-vision, Sirius had somehow picked up another girl. He now had an arm slung casually around the shoulders of two of them and was alternately whispering chat-up lines to both.

"You really must see the decor in my room here," Padfoot muttered to the young women as they walked past James.

"You have your own room at the Potters' house?" The more sober girl asked as she batted her eyelashes up at him.

"Well when you're a defender of the magical realm, as I am, you need safe houses all over. I have some very powerful enemies. You'll love this room, the bed is especially brilliant. Of course, you'll need to lay on it to get a true idea of its comfort."

"I must be seeing double," James commented as the three of them made their way up the stairs and Sirius shot him a wink.

"Nope," Wormtail replied, swaying violently from side to side as his words became increasingly nonsensical. "Padfoot is just some sort of God-King of men."

"Really? Cause I'm seeing two Padfoots escorting two sets of twins upstairs."

Wormtail snorted into his beer and had a small choking fit before placing his bottle down on the table.

"It's been a great party Prongs but I need to get home and feed my fish," He said as he walked with James towards the door. "He worries if I stay out too late."

James chuckled, almost 100% sure that Wormtail did not in fact have a fish and that he was making an alcohol-fuelled excuse to get back to his own bed and his own bathroom. Peter stumbled out the door and set off home, falling flat on his face at one point before bumping into (and then apologising to) a lamppost. James laughed again and briefly wondered if his friend would even make it home, but he was far too drunk to care and shut the door before collapsing down on to the sofa and closing his eyes.

"Hey Prongs?" A voice reached James' ears and he looked down to see Remus laying face down on the carpet beside him. "Do you mind if I stay here tonight? My legs don't seem to be working."

"Yeah, it's no problem mate," James replied as he staggered to his feet and made his way to the stairs. "Mi carpet es su carpet."

"Thank you sir," Remus said, his voice muffled by said carpet. "You are an officer and a gentleman."

James Potter woke up the next morning already groaning in pain. His stomach was turning like someone had set it to the fast cycle, his mouth felt like the Sahara desert after a particularly dry century and his head pounded with the rhythm of a drum being played by an overenthusiastic chimp. He stumbled wearily to his feet and washed and dressed himself with a couple of flicks of his wand before shuffling out of his bedroom and down the stairs. He found Remus in much the same position he had left him the night before, his face buried in the carpet and his arms by his side. James quickly checked his friend's pulse before, upon finding him alive, making his way into the kitchen. He sat down in one of the hard-backed wooden chairs and buried his face in his hands before leaning his head on the kitchen table.

He heard someone pull a chair back with a painfully load _screech_ before taking a seat and placing something down upon the table in front of him.

"You know, I did exactly the same thing about fifteen minutes ago," came the inordinately chipper voice of his wife.

James glanced up to see a steaming goblet of, what he recognised to be, hangover serum and looked at his love with an expression of deepest gratitude before gratefully grasping the potion.

"Don't worry," Lily began as James drank down the most wonderful of magic elixirs, "Remus is still alive."

"Yeah, I checked too," James said with a grin as he felt the hangover leave him completely. "Any sign of Sirius?"

"Actually he was the one who fetched the serums. I'm pretty sure he's been up all night playing with his new radio, well, after playing with a few other things first, judging by the two women sneaking out of our house at six O'clock in the morning. The hangover must have hit him at some point though, because when I woke up, he'd already brought back a batch of hangover cures from the apothecary."

Their conversation was interrupted by Remus dragging himself slowly into the room, his face pale and pained and his demeanour unfocused.

"I have to say Moony, the inferus impression is getting better and better," James quipped with a smirk.

Remus slowly turned his gaze to his friend with a look that could kill before Lily took pity on him and slid the final hangover serum to a grateful werewolf.

"That was some party last night," Moony commented after downing the potion and sitting down beside James.

"That it was," James agreed. "I know that because I can only remember about half of it, and what I can remember is deeply embarrassing."

"True," Remus said. "The problem is that we have a sense of shame. Sirius has absolutely no concept of embarrassment and he seems a lot happier for it."

James noticed that Remus was rubbing his lower back in pain.

"What's wrong with your back?"

"My memory's still fuzzy but at some point last night, some idiot jumped on my back and started riding me like a bull," Remus replied wearily.

"Oh yeah, that was Peter," James said shiftily, as Lily shot him a knowing glance. "Anyway, I better get started on these dishes."

Remus and Lily moved into the living room shortly after, hot cups of tea clutched in their hands as James started to stack the dirty dishes from the previous night.

"Where is Sirius, incidentally?" Remus asked.

"Probably still playing with his radio," Lily replied. "He hadn't-"

At that moment, the conversation was interrupted by a loud commotion coming from the hallway and, seconds later, Sirius appeared, frantically waving around his new radio.

"It's just been announced on the radio that aliens are attacking from Mars!" He exclaimed excitedly.

This was (understandably) met with some degree of confusion before realisation dawned and Remus replied.

"Padfoot, it's not real. It's a hoax by Orson Welles from 1938."

"Remus, I think I'd know a hoax when I heard one, this was an actual news report. Don't worry though, good old Chamberlain will sort it out, he's just secured peace in our time with the Nazis. Now where's my cloak?"

"Where are you going?" Lily asked.

"It'll take time for the army to mobilise, thank Merlin it doesn't have to worry about the Germans, Czechoslovakia is an acceptable casualty. In the mean time, they'll need every able wizard to help with the fight," Sirius responded and Remus couldn't quite figure out if this was an elaborate joke, his old friend had actually gone insane or if he was still drunk.

"Sirius, I don't know how you came to lose your mind but I don't think it would be a good idea for you to go outside and start firing spells in to the sky, all the while shouting about aliens, in the middle of a civil war," Remus said as Lily stood in front of the door, ensuring Padfoot couldn't escape.

"Lily, move out of my way or I shall strike you down with my mighty blade," Sirius exclaimed, whipping off one of his shoes and wielding it before the bemused witch.

"Sirius, that's a shoe."

"You're a shoe," came Padfoot's sensible retort.

"Hey Lily, Moony," James said as we walked into the ludicrous scene. "Hi Padfoot, nice sword mate."

"Thanks mate," Sirius replied with a smug look on his face as James walked out the room again, inciting much confusion in the occupants of the room still capable of rational thought. Sirius then glanced down at his watch, doing a double take as the time surprised him.

"Is that really the time? I'd love to stay and help you fend off the Martians guys, but I've got a lunch date and it started fifteen minutes ago," He spoke quite normally, the panic and excitement completely gone from his voice.

Lily and Remus continued to look bamboozled as he then casually put his shoe back on before tracing his wand down his cheek, leaving a slight cut, and ruffling up his robes and his hair.

"What are you doing?" Lily asked, but it was Remus who answered, interrupting Sirius before he had time to begin his answer.

"I think I've got this one," the more sensible Marauder said. "As he's fifteen minutes late for his date, our oh so brave and daring Auror friend here will tell whatever gullible young woman he's seeing tonight that he was ambushed and had to fight off some Death Eaters to get to her. Nothing was going to prevent him from seeing her and he's only sorry that he couldn't make it on time."

"Ten out of ten Moony," Sirius replied with a grin. "And the stuff about only being sorry I couldn't make it on time is brilliant, I'm definitely using that."

"Remind me again why I'm friends with you Sirius," Lily said, her expression struggling between disgust and being reluctantly impressed.

"James and I came as a package deal. When you married him, you married me as well, except not in a fun way."

With that, Sirius bid everyone goodbye before walking out the room and leaving behind an odd silence, which sat for a moment before it was broken by Remus.

"Well on the bright side, when he inevitably goes insane from syphilis, we'll never notice the difference."

**A/N: Well there you have it, I hope you enjoyed it. If so, please leave a review and tell me what you think. Those of you with a good degree in modern Eastern European history may (and I stress **_**may) **_**have noticed that Tito died in May 1980 and the latter half of the chapter was set in September 1980, so Prongs' recovery is all the more impressive for being relevant. Also, as well as Orson Welles' radio broadcast of War of the Worlds in the form of a news report, 1938 saw British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain secure the Munich agreement with Hitler that allowed for the division of Czechoslovakia and Germany's annexation of the Sudetenland (Spoiler alert: his claim for 'peace in our time' was a little bit premature). This is what Sirius is talking about in his nonsensical rant after listening to what was obviously some sort of radio retrospective of 1938. Well boys and girls (well the three of you who have read this far into the Author's note), that's enough of Uncle Dr. Sheep's weekly history lesson, you may now get back to the wonderful world of fanfiction.**

**A lot of the comedic ideas in this chapter came from my brother, who goes by the unlikely name of RobotMaster, so do check him out. I hope to write the next chapter a lot quicker than this one and it will include Wormtail being lured to the dark side, so keep your eyes peeled.**


	3. Of Moose and Men

_**Duckies-on-A-trampoline – Thanks a lot for the review, it's great to know that you like the story. As you can see I have, for once, updated quickly.**_

_**Reaper-Maniac – Wow, that's a pretty great review. There is for some reason or other a strange lack of stories about this fascinating period of HP history so I thought I'd give one a go myself and I'm glad you're enjoying it. Please don't let this dissuade you from writing a story of your own though as I'm sure you can put your own spin on it. I can disclose that I do plan on writing a little beyond the eponymous fifteen months and on to Sirius' confrontation with Wormtail and just a little bit further than that.**_

"_**Of all the wonders of nature, a tree in summer is perhaps the most remarkable; with the possible exception of a moose singing 'Embraceable You' in spats."  
Woody Allen**_

**A/N: From Homer Simpson to Woody Allen in one chapter, I must be moving up in the world. As promised, here is chapter 3, posted rather quickly for one so prone to bouts of writer's block; I just seemed to whizz through it. So read on and please review to tell me what you think.**

**Sunday 26****th**** October 1980:**

Peter Pettigrew left the latest meeting of the Order of the Phoenix in something of a huff, stepping out from the Prewitt's anti-apparition wards and into the pouring rain so he could apparate home. As usual, the order had taken none of his suggestions for action against You Know Who; even the other Marauders had laughed off his ideas like he was some sort of performing monkey, there only for their amusement. He reappeared a moment later before his front door and fumbled with his keys before letting himself inside, flicking his wand to illuminate his darkened living room as his thoughts continued to taunt him with their turmoil. It had always been the same; he was little Peter Pettigrew, the near-squib who the great Marauders had befriended out of pity. He loved James, Sirius and Remus like brothers but sometimes their mockery and undermining infuriated him and he so desperately wanted to show them that he was capable of being more than just a hanger-on.

It was as Peter collapsed down into an old, but comfortable armchair and rubbed his eyes tiredly, that a small detail caught his attention. He had an old umbrella stand in his sitting room; a family heirloom that he'd inherited when his mother had died and he had included in his decor out of some vague sense of duty. In a rush to go out that morning, he remembered stubbing his toe against it, knocking it to the floor and spilling its contents as he cursed and hurried out of the door. He hadn't picked it up, but now, as he stared at it in slow realisation, it stood upright; umbrellas stored back inside. Peter's eyes widened slightly and his breathing became deeper and somewhat uneven as his body tensed and his hand slowly and surreptitiously reached for his wand. As he felt beads of sweat start to form on his brow and his heartbeat speed up, he stretched his superior, rat-like hearing, scanning for any sound that might suggest an intruder. And there it was. The sound of a foot stepping forward on to heavy carpet and a wand being raised.

Peter threw himself on to the ground and behind his sofa as his chair was blown forward by a bolt of red light. Scrambling for his wand and desperately trying to suppress a whine of fear, he steeled himself and pointed his wand over the back of his sofa with a cry of "_Reducto!"_

The blasting curse was the only offensive spell at which he excelled and it blew out the entire front window as the Death Eater ducked to avoid it. Peter jumped to his feet and shot a stunner at his foe to try and take advantage of his distraction, but the curse splashed harmlessly on a conjured shield as the dark wizard regained his composure.

"I'm not here to hurt you Pettigrew," The masked man said smoothly. "The Dark Lord simply wants to talk."

"I-I'm not a fool," Wormtail stuttered in reply. "Your Lord will torture me if I go with you. You'll have to drag me off, if you want me to come."

"So be it," was the reply. "Crabbe..."

Peter quickly spun around as the Death Eater's gaze turned to a point above his right shoulder, but he just had time to see a flash of scarlet light before darkness overtook him and he succumbed to the pull of unconsciousness.

Lily Potter hummed gently to the soft sound of her son's mobile as it spun slowly above his sleeping form, already so well-acquainted with it that she knew the tune by heart. She was sat in her living room reading, with Remus companionably by her side doing the same as Harry snored quietly in his bassinet. It was into this peaceful scene that James and Sirius burst with the subtlety of a rampaging herd of bull elephants.

"Are you sure about this Padfoot?" James was asking uncertainly, a trace of apprehension in his voice as they walked through the living room and towards the kitchen.

"Positive," Sirius replied enthusiastically. "I'm telling you, it'll be a work of genius, nothing can possibly go wrong."

"You're absolutely sure?"

"Prongs, have I ever steered you wrong?"

The two of them disappeared into the kitchen so Remus and Lily heard nothing of the remainder of the conversation, though Remus could somewhat guess the reply; he could personally remember at least five times that week when Sirius had steered James wrong. With a small shrug, having long given up trying to keep the two of them in line, he turned back to his book, hiding a small smile as his peripheral vision caught Lily doing exactly the same. A few minutes of silence passed with the two of them engrossed in their reading before a medium-sized explosion erupted from the direction of the garage. Remus looked up in mild interest, in time to see a furious James stomping back into the living room, his clothes burned and black and his head, rather bizarrely, transfigured into the head of a moose, antlers and all. Sirius emerged a couple of seconds after, shouting out apologies.

"James, I said I was sorry," he called after his friend as James walked out the front door. "Can't we try it one more time?"

There was no answer and Sirius just stood there for a few seconds before turning sheepishly to Remus and Lily.

"I should probably go and make sure he gets to St. Mungo's alright," he said before running out of the house.

"Huh, that was odd," Remus commented lightly.

"Was it, Remus?" Lily asked sceptically, he eyebrow raised and her expression telling him to think about it.

"Actually no," Remus replied upon consideration. "For them, I don't suppose it was."

With not another word, the two of them turned quietly back to their books and began to read.

His mind started to clear as lucidity returned to it, but something in his psyche fought it, longed to keep hold of the blissful state of unconsciousness as it knew what its master had yet to remember. It knew the horrors Peter Pettigrew was to face when he awoke. Alas, reality could be held at bay no longer and Wormtail blinked wearily as he opened his eyes and came face to face with evil itself.

Lord Voldemort smiled a smile utterly devoid of human warmth as his eyes locked with those of the man in front of him and he barked at his slaves to leave the two of them alone. The Death Eaters complied readily, hurriedly scrambling for the door and bowing deeply as they left the room, leaving Wormtail alone with his worst nightmare. None of this registered in Peter's mind, however, consumed as it was by complete and unremitting terror; his whole body trembled and tears of dread streamed unbidden down his cheeks. Through this, he felt a twinge of shame as he felt his bowels void themselves and his trousers became stained. A flicker of amusement crossed the Dark Lord's serpentine face, but he quickly suppressed it and cleared the mess with a casual wave of wand, before releasing Wormtail from the shackles that bound him.

So consumed with horror had he been, Peter had failed to truly take in his situation, but now he realised that he had been chained to the wall in an upright position and he crumpled to the floor as Lord Voldemort released him. Frozen with fear, he made no effort to rise but instead lay motionless on the cold, stone ground, rather like a spider trying to go unseen by a predator infinitely more powerful than he.

"Come here and take a seat Pettigrew," Voldemort hissed, a hint of civility and kindness trying to break through the menacing tone. "I promise that I mean you no harm."

Peter slowly forced himself to raise his head and his eyes once again locked with the most powerful Dark Lord the world had ever seen. Voldemort was sat in a thrown-like chair behind a large desk, the other side of which was another seat, smaller but comfortable and clearly intended for Peter. Choking back a sob, Wormtail tried to summon up a little Gryffindor bravery, tried to act as James or Sirius, or even Remus might and slowly drew himself to his feet, before walking over to the desk and sitting in the chair opposite You Know Who.

"Would you like a drink Peter?" Voldemort asked, again with unnatural warmth to his ice-cold hiss.

Peter shook his head, not trusting himself to speak as he focused his gaze a few inches to the left of Voldemort's shoulder.

"I must insist," Voldemort said, summoning a glass from somewhere and placing it on the table in front of him. "It's just water, but it will help to calm your nerves."

Peter looked up at the Dark Lord and was met with an intense stare; an odd kindness was at the forefront, but a threat and cold, hard rage lay, barely contained, just behind it. Looking into those blood-red eyes, Wormtail's courage failed him and he obediently picked up the goblet and drank. As Voldemort had promised, the liquid tasted like water and, much to his surprise, Peter did indeed feel his fear and panic ease just slightly as he placed the glass back onto the table.

"I am not the man I have been made out to be Peter," Voldemort spoke with a warm but frightening smile. "I do not wish you harm; in fact I wish nothing more than for proper, pureblooded wizards such as yourself to prosper. I am an excellent judge of character and I can sense in you a great deal of untapped potential."

Wormtail's eyes snapped to Voldemort's face in shock; that was not something he was used to hearing and through the fear and hysteria that still gripped his heart, he felt a reluctant surge of pride. He quickly pushed the feeling aside, however, reminding himself who was sat before him.

"I know all too well what it is like to be misunderstood Peter," Voldemort continued when Wormtail gave no response. "Do you ever feel unappreciated by those around you, that your friends don't understand you?"

"Yes," Peter was surprised by his own reply for it came unbidden to his lips as he didn't remember deciding to respond. He could not deny its truth, however, and, found himself shakily continuing. "People th-think that I'm weak and stupid."

Voldemort nodded understandingly.

"I don't think you're stupid Peter," he said. "You have been overlooked by those who pander to mudbloods and half-breeds, forever overshadowed by so-called witches and wizards of vastly inferior stock. Even those you call friends prefer the company of mudbloods and monsters and push you aside, make you feel insignificant despite the fact you are a wizard of noble standing."

Wormtail gave no response, but Voldemort could see the internal battle behind his eyes; the rat's thoughts were like an open book to him and the potion was doing its job.

"I would not belittle or undermine you." The Dark Lord continued, determined not to allow Pettigrew's resolve to harden. "You may think of me as a bad man Peter, but I assure you I am not. I am loyal to my supporters and I respect talent and purity, both of which I sense within you."

"I can't join you," Wormtail muttered after a moment's quiet, his voice low and unsure, though he was no longer actively shaking. "James, Sirius, even Remus, they're the only ones who have ever shown me friendship; I can't betray them."

"I don't want you to betray anyone Peter," Voldemort replied. "I would never ask you to place your friends in danger; it is Dumbledore who is doing that. Having said that, there is no need to show such deference to them, you owe them nothing. It is a tragedy that you have gone so undervalued but friendship should be a two way street, you should not be treated so badly, when you have shown them nothing but kindness and good will."

There was a pause as Peter contemplated the Dark Lord's words and Voldemort allowed them to seep deeply into his psyche.

"What would you have me do?"

Voldemort smiled. Wormtail's voice was still weary and uncertain but he was wavering and the conversation was slowly moving beyond the moral dilemma of aiding the Death Eaters and edging closer to practicalities.

"I would simply ask you to report to me the activities of the Order of the Phoenix. As I have said, I would not dream of asking you to put your friends in harm's way, nor do I ask that you betray any secrets. All I would like you to do is give me an overview of what the Order is doing. In return for this minor service, you will be greatly rewarded. When I come to power, as I inevitably will, you will have a position of great power and esteem; you will be treated with respect for your talents and for the role you played in our noble cause. I suspect that Dumbledore makes you no such promise."

Peter shook his head slightly, his eyes unfocused and his mind deep in thought. There was a little resistance left in his inner monologue but that is all it was and Voldemort knew that there was one more card he could play; the ace up his sleeve.

"And if I refuse?" Peter asked.

The Dark Lord sighed and carefully schooled his features into a look of sadness and regret.

"I am afraid that if you were to position yourself as a soldier against me, I would have little choice in the matter, this is war after all. You would be made an example of; your death, I fear, would not be quick and it would not be pleasant. Though I take no satisfaction from it, I am greatly skilled in the arts of torture and pain and it really is quite remarkable what the human body can withstand before finally giving in to the release of death," Voldemort paused for just a second. The fear was well and truly back, Peter's hands, still clenched around the goblet, started to shake uncontrollably and his eyes watered once more. "I sincerely hope you don't force me to do that Peter. You could be a truly great wizard and I would much prefer to see you respected, to see you in a position of power with me and able to put your abilities to good use."

Almost imperceptibly, Peter gave a small nod of agreement, eliciting a smile of satisfaction upon the Dark Lord's face. Severus had done his job well and he himself had put his powers of persuasion to good use. He could see any resistance crumbling away, the alternate options springing to Pettigrew's mind before being thoroughly dismissed. Silence reigned for just a few seconds before Peter's attention focused once more on the wizard in front of him, staring at his snake-like lips as he dared not meet his eyes.

"How would I make sure that Dumbledore doesn't suspect something?"

And there it was; acceptance. Voldemort struggled to reign in his jubilation and answer the question, for he had just won a great victory, without Dumbledore and his order even realising it.

"This is boring!" Sirius whined for the fiftieth time, as he sat next to the still moose-headed James in the Accident and Emergency ward of St. Mungo's hospital. The war had added to the usual perils of living in a world of magic to ensure the ward was filled with people with more serious conditions than James, consigning them to hours of waiting in the dull hospital room.

"Can't we just go home?" Padfoot continued. "I mean, how attached were you to your old head anyway? If you were me, I could see the fuss, but some might argue that, for you, this is actually an improvement."

James snorted in reply and gave Sirius the meanest glare he had ever witnessed on a moose's face. Having had more than enough experiences of gorging by antler from an angry James Potter, Sirius decided that it was time to go for a walk. Escaping the madness and hullaballoo of the A&E ward, he wandered aimlessly around the hospital, purposefully avoiding the maternity ward for fear that he might accidentally wander in on another pregnant woman in a, well, a less than flattering position. He was about to return to his friend when something, or rather someone, caught his eye.

Lily's healer friend, correction, Lily's absolutely gorgeous healer friend, was stood in the hospital canteen. As she queued up to pay for her food, Sirius couldn't help but notice the profound sadness that hung behind her eyes; her shoulders were slouched and her lips turned down, clearly holding a lot of emotional pain. Sirius' heart went out to her but another part of him, this one significantly lower than his heart, felt a very different emotion, for he knew that look; it was a look, not of bereavement, but of lost love. Deciding to take the plunge, he let himself into the canteen and walked over to her, standing casually just behind her as she handed over her money. Turning around, she walked, as planned, straight into Sirius, sending her tray tumbling towards the ground. Sirius had been prepared, however, and gave his wand a swish, magically catching the tray and righting its contents.

"Sorry about that," he said, levitating her tray over to a table for two and taking the opposite seat. "Hey, aren't you Lily's friend?"

"Yes, Rachel Shaw," she introduced herself, somewhat reluctantly sitting in the other chair, surprise having seemingly broken through her malaise. "And you would be the man who was gagged and bound because you, what was it? Oh yes, you looked like you wanted to mount me."

"That was just a little joke," Sirius replied. "I'm Sirius Black and I very rarely mount women I don't know, in a public hospital, just after my godson has been born. I mean, yes, I think we've all done it once or twice but it's the exception rather than the rule."

"Good to know." Rachel said. "You do realise that this is an employee only canteen? You're not supposed to be in here,"

"Oh I wouldn't worry about that," Sirius replied with a cocky grin. "I'm an Auror."

"And that means you can go wherever you please?"

"Of course not, but I was passing by and saw some deeply suspicious behaviour being exhibited by errrrrrrmmm, her." Glancing around as he spoke, Sirius eventually pointed at an elderly woman, who was sat at the table next to them and who looked deeply alarmed at having been singled out. "It is my solemn duty to investigate and ensure the safety of the public."

"How very noble of you," Rachel replied with a wry smile and a quirked eyebrow, though the pain behind her eyes was still clear to see.

"So, who's the bastard that has you so upset and how illegal should I make the curse I use on him?"

Rachel smiled slightly at Sirius' forwardness. "Actually, I've just split up with my boyfriend."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Sirius responded, making no effort to hide the massive grin that spread across his face.

Rachel couldn't help but grin back and gave a small laugh. "Clearly. You're so sorry, you're practically giddy."

"I am sorry that he upset you," Padfoot said, reining back his smile a little. "It's just a natural male reaction to be happy when he learns that such a beautiful, smart, funny young woman is available."

"Smart and funny? You've met me twice and one of those times you were bound and gagged. We're hardly intimately acquainted."

"Something I very much hope to remedy," Sirius replied with a smile. "What better way is there to forget the scumbag who hurt you than by going for a drink with a dashing young gentleman such as myself?"

"While it is tradition, after a breakup, to have a disastrous relationship, Sirius, I have never been a traditional girl. You see, women talk to their friends and your reputation precedes you. Why should I go out with someone who's only after one thing and who will get bored of me before the headboard even stops rocking?"

"I'm capable of being in a long term relationship," Sirius complained defensively. "Lily must have told you about the old Sirius, but I've grown as a person and I've changed."

"Since when?" Rachel asked, sceptically

"I suppose about half way through this conversation," Padfoot responded with a grin. "Just give me a chance; go out for a drink with me. Just a drink, there can't be any harm in that."

"I have to get back to work," she replied, after a moment of just looking for sincerity in the Marauder's eyes. "Give me your floo address and maybe I'll give you a call if I get thirsty."

Sirius quickly complied and watched as she walked away, before standing himself and returning to James. He found him exactly where he had left him, an agitated look on his face and his glasses balanced precariously on his large snout.

"I'm bored," Sirius complained a couple of minutes after sitting down. He was cut off from making any further comment, however, when, with a flick of James' wand, his chair disappeared and he was sent tumbling painfully to the floor.

"That wasn't very nice," Sirius groaned, slightly dazed, as he lay on the ground.

Miraculously, another two hours passed without James murdering Sirius for his relentless whining, as the two Marauders grew more and more frustrated with the wait. It seemed like every time they were about to be seen next, some witch or wizard would selfishly vanish their own head or suffer some other form of life-threatening, if often hilarious, malady and they were forced to wait yet longer. It was at that point, however, that Sirius caught a glimpse of a familiar and stunningly beautiful face heading his way.

"Hi Sirius," Rachel greeted him as she reached them. "And, James is it?"

James nodded politely, trying to keep his dignity in front of his wife's friend and succeeding only in allowing his glasses to fall off his face.

"You look different from the last time I saw you," Rachel continued with a small smile. "I can't quite put my finger on it but you look, somehow, more moose-y."

Sirius laughed. "Finished for the day?"

"Actually yes and I was wondering if you were still interested in getting that drink?"

"Absolutely," Sirius, replied, slightly surprised.

"Are you sure you aren't busy?" Rachel asked, nodding towards James.

"What? Oh that, no not at all. James is always transfiguring himself into something or other, he likes it. Besides, the healer will be out any minute."

"OK great, then let's go."

Sirius stood up and started to walk out the hospital, pausing only to turn back and give James a 'sorry-but-I've-got-a-chance-at-sex-so-you'll-have-to-wait-for-the-healer-to-heal-your-moose-head-on-your-own' look as Prongs gave a snort of indignation. Left alone in the chaos of the hospital emergency room, James only had to wait a little while longer before a healer did, finally, approach him.

"So Mr. Potter," he began, "what seems to be the problem?"

James just gave him a look.

As his friends got up to their usual, careless hi-jinks, Peter Pettigrew was handed an old tin can. The portkey transported him away from Voldemort's lair and back to his living room, where not even the broken window remained to hint at the momentous event that had just taken place. It wouldn't be until hours later that Peter realised that his home should have been warded against portkeys, for now, he just collapsed down into his favourite chair, the same he had been sat in mere hours before, before his life had forever altered course. His mind spun with the implication of what he had agreed and he tried desperately to make sense of what had transpired.

That he was still alive was of massive relief, but he didn't quite know how to feel about his pact with the Dark Lord. On the one hand he was terrified, the Dark Lord had powers far beyond anything he could even contemplate and he knew that one wrong move would mean his death, despite Voldemort's comforting words. There was also a lingering guilt for agreeing to aid the Order's enemy, even if he wouldn't have to betray any of its secrets or its members, this guilt was, he noted dispassionately, somewhat less than what he might have expected, however. Voldemort's words and promises had sparked something in Peter; his determination to prove himself, to gain power and prestige, suddenly had a focus. He was in a unique place to help the Dark Lord and for just a small service; one that didn't even endanger those he cared about, the power he dreamed about would become a reality.

The internal debate raged on in his mind for almost an hour, before Peter forcefully brought it to a halt. There was nothing else for it now; his word had been given. He would complete the task the Dark Lord had set him and he would do it well, making himself invaluable to him and gaining his respect. This status had another advantage; one that was just occurring to him now. As far as the war was concerned, he couldn't lose; he would serve both sides and, whichever was victorious, he would emerge the winner, all for a few measly details about the Order's activity. Peter smiled, his mind made up and rose from his chair to go to bed, he had a big week ahead of him.

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed the third chapter, it's a little shorter than those I usually produce but I think it gets its job done well enough and there's no point in me artificially drawing out a chapter just for the sake of it. Peter has started his descent to the Dark side but as of yet does not want to betray his friends or the secrets of the order, obviously there is much left to occur in this little subplot. Well that's about all I have for now, but please do review and tell me what you think, constructive criticism is more than welcome.**

**Also, as you may have noticed, I am making an effort to make the funny quotes I put at the top of my chapters relevant for this story. Surprisingly enough, it's pretty difficult to find a funny moose-related quote, but after some searching, Woody Allen came to my rescue.**


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